Contribution of the alternative model for DSM-5 personality disorders to relationship satisfaction

Claudia Savard; Mélissa Deschênes; Élodie Gagné-Pomerleau; Maude Payant; Kristel Mayrand; Marie-Chloé Nolin; Louis-Alexandre Marcoux; Dominick Gamache

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1291226

Contribution of the alternative model for DSM-5 personality disorders to relationship satisfaction

Front Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 12:14:1291226. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1291226. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Claudia Savard^#^{1

2

3}, Mélissa Deschênes^#^{3

4}, Élodie Gagné-Pomerleau^#^{2

4}, Maude Payant^#⁵, Kristel Mayrand^#^{3

6}, Marie-Chloé Nolin^#^{3

7}, Louis-Alexandre Marcoux^#⁸, Dominick Gamache^#^{2

3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Educational Fundamentals and Practices, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
² CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada.
³ Interdisciplinary Research Center on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse, Montréal, QC, Canada.
⁴ School of Psychology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
⁶ Department of Humanities, Saint-Anne University, Pointe-de-l'Église, NS, Canada.
⁷ Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
⁸ Centre de Psychologie Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: Personality is a central factor associated with relationship discord, conflicts, and separation, as well as with dyadic adjustment and relationship stability. The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) of the DSM-5 offers a hybrid model for understanding personality based on personality dysfunction (Criterion A) and pathological domains and facets (Criterion B). So far, few studies have integrated this model into the understanding of relationship quality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the contribution of Criterion B to relationship satisfaction in individuals involved in an intimate relationship. We also explored the joint contribution of Criteria A and B, as well as their interaction effects, to relationship satisfaction.

Methods: Participants were drawn from two clinical samples: patients with personality disorders (PD; N = 101) and clients consulting in private practice clinics (PPC; N = 350). They completed self-report questionnaires assessing relationship satisfaction and AMPD Criteria A (only for PPC sample) and B.

Results: Hierarchical regressions showed that, for the PD sample, the Detachment and Negative Affectivity domains, especially the pathological facets of Intimacy Avoidance and Separation Insecurity, explained 22.5% of relationship satisfaction's variance. For PPC clients, Detachment, Negative Affectivity, and Antagonism domains, and especially the pathological facets of Intimacy Avoidance, Anxiousness, and Grandiosity, contribute significantly to relationship satisfaction, explaining 14.8% of its variance. Criterion A elements did not evince incremental value to the regression models in the PPC sample, and no Criteria A and B interaction effects were found. Clinical implications as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

Keywords: Alternative Model for Personality Disorders; intimate relationships; personality disorders; private practice clinics; relationship satisfaction.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to CS, DG, and KM for projects entitled “Documenting the psychological, relational and sexual functioning of adults and couples consulting in private clinics using a computerized assessment procedure” (2A Partnership Engage Grant 2019-20; #892-2019-1022) and “Documenting the psychological, relational and sexual functioning of adults and couples consulting in private clinics Phase II: integration of a sustainable health approach” (2A Partnership Engage Grant 2021-22; #892-2021-1007).